Franciscan priest pens personal book because he had to
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly
BATON ROUGE, La. —Franciscan Father Robert Konopa does not consider himself a writer and yet he was compelled to write a book.
The priest, who served as associate pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Saginaw for 15 years — 1990-93 and 1996-2008 — recently had “God You Must Have Me Confused with Someone Else, Seeing What I Was Missing” published by Tau Publishing of Phoenix, Ariz.
“I just consider the whole thing to be beyond me,” he said. “It was all new to me. How do you write a book? I’m not an author. How can I write a book?”
And yet it was something he was compelled to do. (more…)
Westphalia music minister offers CD of original, uniquely Catholic music
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Times
PEWAMO — Some musicians seek fame and fortune in a headlong pursuit of platinum-selling albums and viral videos.
Brian Flynn just wants to get into a hymnal.
The music minister at St. Mary Parish in Westphalia recently released his third CD, “Born Again,” through Chicago’s World Library Publications. While he wouldn’t mind selling lot of the discs, the main purpose is to get people to want one or more of the 12 tunes in their hymnal. (more…)
Saginaw man’s war letters home become heart of a new book
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Weekly
SAGINAW — From November 1942 through December 1945, Aarol W. “Bud” Irish penned an estimated 1,000 letters to family, the families of men who fell at his side in the European Theater of World War II and to his fiancé, Elaine Marie Corbat, who eventually became his wife.
That’s just a little shy of a letter a day.
While the Hemlock native, unlike other veterans, did not shy away from talking about his war experiences on his return, the letters remained a secret until his death in 2006. That is when his daughter, Teresa — the third of 10 children the Irishes raised in Saginaw — found them in an old trunk. (more…)
Carmelite sisters at the island convent in Campeche, Mexico, unpack sewing items sent Aug. 13 from Lansing and the Carmelite Nun Project. Courtesy photos
Mexican convents get help they need thanks to three Lansing women
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Times
LANSING — About 13 years ago, Gloria Sanchez-Thomas went to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico.
While there, she got to know some of the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine of Jesus, who have a monastery in Puebla that was founded in 1604.
That might well be the end of that story except for something that happened nearly two years ago.
“About a year and a half ago” said Sanchez-Thomas, a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, “I felt God was speaking into my heart to get a hold of the nuns at Tepeyac (another of the convents in Mexico).” (more…)
One of Saginaw’s newest priests applies life experiences to ministry
By Debbie Oglenski
The Catholic Weekly
MIDLAND — Eddie Dwyer was growing restless at Central Michigan University in the spring of 2005, when Pope John Paul II died.
The television coverage of the pope’s life and ministry to the Catholic Church changed Dwyer’s life.
The native of Escanaba completed his studies in communication and political science at CMU and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, before completing his theological studies at Mundelein Seminary in 2011. He was ordained Fr. Edwin Dwyer in June for the Diocese of Saginaw and is the parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament in Midland and assistant chaplain to Fr. Steve Gavit in ministering to students at Saginaw Valley State University. He also assists with Nouvel Catholic Central High School, saying Mass for the students, hearing confessions during the lunch hour, doing some teaching, holding Eucharistic adoration and attending sporting events, particularly talking to the football team. (more…)
During his most recent trip to India, Victor Kuchar (left) visited with some residents of a home for physcially and mentally impaired women. Courtesy photo
Owosso man’s trip to India reveals an even greater need for help
By Mark Haney
The Catholic Times
OWOSSO — Vic Kuchar accomplished none of the projects he had planned for his trip to India.
He planned to make repairs to two orphanages run by the Sisters of Charity — starting with a new roof over the 18-by-for-foot single-room girls’ dormitory — and to determine what other needs the orphanages had.
“As soon as I got there, I saw that there was a lot more and a lot more critical activity was needed,” Kuchar said, “things far more important than putting a roof on a place.”
Instead he bought some fans, some medicine and a motorized rickshaw, and not for the two orphanages. He also spent most of the month-plus traveling through India.
And yet the retired Air Force officer, who stumbled across one of the orphanages during a trip he took while recovering from an injury incurred by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, considered the trip a success. (more…)
by Emily Bartell
Special to The Catholic Times
What is the meaning of Christmas? We hear this question so often during the Christmas season. It seems like everyone is searching for an answer, including all of our favorite seasonal movies: “A Christmas Carol,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “A White Christmas.” It may seem cliché, yet have you really stopped to think about this question and what the answer is for you individually? What does the answer to this question mean for you physically, emotionally and spiritually, and how does Advent fit in to the whole picture?
These are questions I have pondered during this year’s Advent season. (more…)
St. Mary Cathedral in Saginaw celebrated Los Posadas on Monday, Dec. 19. The event commemorates the nine nights during which Mary and Joseph were on the road to Bethlehem. Young people played the parts of Mary, Joseph, the pilgrims and innkeepers.
By Fr. Joseph J. Krupp
Special to The Catholic Times
Emmanuel … God With Us. My favorite name for Jesus, hands down.
God with us in our work, God with us in our need. (more…)
By Austin Harper
Special to The Catholic Times
ADRIAN — Christmas is the time of year for families to gather, for trees and houses to be decorated, for shopping, parties, for baking and gift wrapping and gift giving.
While all of these traditions are wonderful and should be continued, the true purpose of Christmas has been lost. Everyone is so busy trying to hit the greatest sales, find the perfect present, bake the best cookies, that they have forgotten why this day is celebrated, why we observe this time of year; they have forgotten about God. (more…)